Stella Schnabel Joins Oren Moverman’s Cop-Drama ‘Rampart’

Stella Schnabel Joins Oren Moverman's Cop-Drama 'Rampart'

First On-Set Look At Woody Harrelson In Character

Actress Stella Schnabel, daughter of acclaimed director Julian, has joined the cast of Israeli-born director Oren Moverman‘s upcoming cop-drama “Rampart” which will see him reunite with his “The Messenger” stars Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson — seen above in an on-set photo courtesy of EW.

Co-scripted by acclaimed crime author James Ellroy, the story is based on a real-life scandal in the ’90’s which saw an investigation of crooked L.A. cops end up with 70-plus officers implicated and convicted. Some of these incidents included “unprovoked shootings, unprovoked beatings, planting of evidence, framing of suspects, stealing and dealing narcotics, bank robbery, perjury, and covering up evidence of these activities.”

The film will evidently be led by former N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube in a long-awaited return to top-notch cinema — which itself has led to an upcoming re-teaming with David O. Russell on a reported “Dirty Harry“-esque action franchse. Cube will play the “homicide detective sent to investigate a dirty cop (Harrelson)” with a stellar supporting cast joining him in the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Steve Buscemi in unspecified roles, as well as Schnabel who’ll play a fellow L.A.P.D. officer.

We’re excited by the the reunion of the ‘Messenger’ trio as well as the surrounding talent. ‘Oren has an amazing way with words, but he uses them sparingly,” Harrelson added to EW. ”He says just the right thing — it’s like a key that unlocks whatever wasn’t working in the scene.”

The film will likely see a release in 2011 and after the heat generated by “The Messenger” last year we figure it should be a strong awards contender.